Al Fatih and Hamas recently signed a memorandum of understanding on reconciliation in Cairo. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas had called Hamas for reconciliation. Hamas, which had been reluctant to do so before, accepted the offer this time. Today let me put the memorandum of understanding was signed in Cairo within context. I think this is a critical success for Abbas and Fayyad as well as for Egypt and is an important indicator for monitoring how the "Ihvan-i Muslimin," or the Muslim Brothers, in Egypt will engage in the region's politics. Why? Let me tell you why.

When Mahmoud Abbas took over the office from Yasser Arafat, people said, "the accountant of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has taken office." This was a mood of underestimation. But now the accountant is founding the State of Palestine. The region is in chaos, everyone is talking at once, but Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Feyyad know what they are doing. At least it appears so.

Let us recall. First, they announced a plan to found the state of Palestine. In the context of the plan, he started to take steps to establish an institutional capacity. They were first to create an awareness for national production via campaigns against Israeli goods produced in the occupied territories. They did not postpone welfare gains until the "after the revolution." Second, they lobbied under the body of the United Nations for a unilateral declaration for the State of Palestine. They would have obtained the support of the Security Council if the US had not vetoed the resolution. Now everyone with sanity has an understanding of the importance of establishing a state in Palestine, which is a positive development. Now they have taken another step in the right direction for national reconciliation. At least there exists a will to reconcile now, which is good. I believe that one of the impediments to the establishment of the Palestinian state has been eliminated. This is the first point.

Then, does the memorandum of understanding at hand provide the perfect ground for conciliation? It does not. There only exists a declaration of commitment. The concrete steps to be taken are yet to be defined. We will wait and see. However, the demand of Hamas to hold the general elections before the presidential elections was declined. The Palestinians first will elect their president and re-form the parliament. The Palestinian Parliament that became dysfunctional after Hamas's military coup in Gaza will become operable again. You might argue that Hamas did all those actions out of obligation, but this does not change the fact that Hamas staged a coup. And it is not bad but good that things are returning to the normal course. Let this be the second point. The open-endedness of the memorandum of understanding will take us to the third point.

Why did Hamas have to sign a broad conciliation that it had been reluctant to accept before? This is directly connected with the Arab Spring. The success of the Arab streets in accomplishing what had been deemed impossible and the overthrowing of the administrations that had been supposed to be undefeatable created a completely different outlook. It appears that Hamas had to sign the memorandum of understanding not because the financial support from Syria was about to evaporate, but because of the changing milieu in and demands of Egypt. Hamas is Egypt's Ihvan-i Muslimin in Palestine. Ihvan for the first time has become the alternative political power or potential coalition partner in Egypt. So it has to show to the world and the US and Israel that to begin with it has normalized and that he who has the crown becomes wiser. I think that the preparations for the result of the elections in the near future in Egypt have played an important role in the falling into place of the grounds for conciliation. Hamas, from this perspective, is the perfect channel for delivering messages. And this is the third point.

And what about Turkey? Turkey was a guest in Cairo. It also is a guest in the region; it is not in the first string.  Take a look at the broadcasts of TRT Arabic channel on the region. Recently, an Arab friend told me, "The streets are in chaos, everyone is confused. When you turn on TRT Arabic in search of a salve, you come up with an eggplant ragout recipe in Arabic." Such is the case with Turkey. Why? Yes, that is why.

This commentary was published in Radikal daily on 10.05.2011